NC State’s future at quarterback took an early hit on Friday night, but the first signs around Gunner Rivers’ knee injury point to relief rather than disaster.
Rivers, the 2027 NC State commit and son of former Wolfpack and NFL quarterback Philip Rivers, missed St. Michael Catholic’s home opener after being injured in the season opener. He was on the sideline in street clothes and crutches, with only a sleeve on his leg rather than a brace or cast.
Before the game, Philip Rivers told Ben Thomas of AL.com that the plan is simply to let things play out week by week.
"Moving forward, we will take it one week at a time (with Gunner)," Philip Rivers told Ben Thomas of AL.com. "When he's ready, he will be out there. He dang sure will be out there after pool play is done, and we get our playoff seed."
That reference to "pool play" matters because all 16 teams in the AHSAA’s Double-A private school division will reach the playoffs. That could keep Rivers out until the regular season ends on Oct. 30, though there is no firm timetable yet. Even so, the early optimism is welcome news for NC State, especially with Rivers planning to arrive in Raleigh early next January.
The update is much better than what initially followed the injury in St. Michael’s opener against Battle Ground Academy (TN).
Rivers left late in the first quarter after scrambling and getting his right leg caught underneath a defender. He stayed down in pain before needing help off the field, and backup quarterback Marshall Pitre took over.
Philip Rivers said at halftime he didn’t believe the injury was structural.
"I don't think there's anything structural there," Rivers said. "Even if he's a statue out there, he gives us a chance."
Gunner eventually returned from the locker room on a cart without shoulder pads and finished the game 3-for-4 for 84 yards and a touchdown in a 41-18 loss. On the telecast, he appeared to be moving gingerly on the sideline, and Philip Rivers later said his son was dealing with leg spasms while remaining hopeful it was not a season-ending injury.
That hope got stronger on Aug. 24, when Philip Rivers confirmed to Ben Thomas of AL.com that surgery appears to have been avoided.
"Thankfully, it looks like Gunner avoided surgery and a season-ending injury," Rivers said. "We will take it one day at a time, and he will be back out there when he is ready."
Gunner himself had already said in June that he intends to enroll early at NC State.
"No, I'm not waiting. I'm gonna enroll early," Rivers said.
"I'll be up there in January. I'll be ready for the spring."
That timeline makes the injury worth watching closely, but the latest word is encouraging for both St. Michael Catholic and the Wolfpack.
Rivers is coming off a junior season in which he threw for more than 3,100 yards and 46 touchdowns, and he entered his senior year ranked inside the top 50 in the 2027 class. For now, NC State fans are left waiting on his recovery, hoping the setback stays temporary.
In Other News...
Former NC State Forward Lands A First Head Coaching Chance
Levi Watkins is getting his first shot at running a program, and it comes at the high school level after a long climb through college basketball. The former NC State forward, who played for the Wolfpack from 2001 to 2005, has been named the head coach at Green Hope High School, bringing years of experience in assistant coaching and basketball operations to a new kind of challenge.
Watkins takes over for Richard Howell and inherits a Green Hope team that struggled last season, which makes the job as much about rebuilding as it is about game-night decisions. For NC State fans, it is another reminder of how often former players keep moving through the game, and now Watkins gets the chance to put his own stamp on a program that is looking for a reset. [Read more 🡒]